Advent Calendar
by Leesa Perrie
Summary: Ficlets that are unrelated except for being part of my Advent Calendar, see author's notes for more....
1. Nativity

Each ficlet is a stand alone story, but all have a Christmas or winter theme to them. They are part of my Advent Calendar, which comprises captioned photos and ficlets, alternating each day. To check out the full Calendar, go to my website (see my profile), click on Atlantis, then scroll down to find the Advent Calendar link. This will be updated as the ficlets are posted to my website - last posting will be 25th December 2008.

* * *

**Nativity**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Sometime after Miller's Crossing, Season 4_

This was hell, pure unadulterated hell, and he still wasn't sure how he got talked into this.

One moment he was getting ready for a few hours on his own with his laptop while Jeannie and Kaleb went to see Madison in her school's nativity play, the next he was getting into the car with them and heading to said school.

He'd forgotten how persuasive Jeannie could be when she wanted him to do something he really didn't want to do; saying how upset Maddie, who had taken a liking to him for some unfathomable reason, would be if he wasn't there, and he didn't want to make her cry, did he?

It didn't help that he was still feeling guilty for that whole nanite fiasco.

So, here he was. Watching little kids fumble through their dance routines, mumble lines he couldn't hear, and wasn't interested in hearing even if he could, and listening to out of tune voices murder Christmas carols, with parents clapping and taking photographs, flashes flashing brightly and annoyingly; making out that this was something to be enjoyed rather than endured.

Hell, total and utter hell.

Madison was the only kid in the show who could sing or dance, well, sort of. Certainly she was the best one there, and no, he wasn't being biased.

And if afterwards his heart softened at the sight of Madison's happy face, well, it was just the relief at having survived the play.

He certainly didn't feel all soft and fuzzy when she hugged him.

Not at all.

The End


	2. Boots

**Boots**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Pre-Atlantis, mainly_

Boots scrunching through freshly fallen snow. Moon shining brightly, silvering the houses, the gardens, the town. Breath huffing out steaming clouds, the clean sharp smell of cold night air, the sting of ice on his face.

Hands buried in coat pockets, gloved but still cold. Hood up, scarf wrapped around his neck, hunched against the cold, trudging onwards with endless walking to be done.

The people sleep, little knowing of his passage through their town. It's better that way - he can take some food and pass on; unseen, unheard, unknown. A few hours grace; he must be gone before those that hunt him locate him here.

Endless walking, running, fighting; it takes its toll on him. The cold runs deep inside him - not just the cold of this place, but a cold that grips his heart, tight. Shutting down, moving on, fighting back; nothing else can be allowed to intrude on this.

Nothing.

So with boots scrunching through freshly fallen snow, he takes what he needs to survive and moves on, so that the people will not be caught up in a culling of his doing, like once before.

Guilt. There can be little place for that either.

So he shoves it down, tries to do better. Over time, the gloves, the scarf, even the boots and coat, are lost. He replaces only what he can, where he can. And all the while, he grows colder, even on the warmest of worlds.

Running. Fighting. Moving on.

Frozen inside, and yet surviving against the odds.

Until a sun burned world changes his path, sets him free.

And the thaw begins.

The End


	3. Poinsettia or not

**Poinsettia, or not**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Season 4. After 'Tabula Rasa', before 'Quarantine'_

Rodney wasn't one for picking up subtle hints, something Katie knew well enough, but he had surprised her this time.

"Oh, that's...really nice," she said, looking at the plant before her.

"Yes, well, you said you missed having a poinsettia for Christmas, and, well, I couldn't really get one requisitioned from Earth and I'm not sure they would allow me to bring one back myself, but when I saw this on M3X-361 I thought that maybe it might do instead."

She smiled at him kindly. He was so proud of himself, both for remembering and thinking of it, which was very sweet and she really didn't want to upset him.

"Thank you, that's really nice."

"Good, good. So, dinner?"

"Yes, I'd like that. I just need to get this settled in."

"Sure, right, half an hour?"

"Sure."

He grinned awkwardly before heading out of the botany lab.

Katie looked at the plant before her and sighed, before locking it into the secure plant safe next to the other thirty such-like plants - all destined for incineration the next day.

She hadn't the heart to tell him they were one of the most common plants on their new home world, nor that they reproduced worse than weeds.

Or that they were carnivorous, one particularly hungry specimen having attacked Dr Parrish just that morning.

It was, after all, the thought that counts.

The End


	4. Snowball Fights

**Snowball Fights**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set Season 3 or 4_

Jeannie started it, stuffing snow down the back of Rodney's jacket and making him squeak - a manly expression of surprise, he later claimed most vocally - in shock as the cold substance melted down his back. He turned accusing eyes at his sister, who was giggling like a little kid and not the mature grown up mom John was used to thinking of her as.

Then McKay scowled and scooped up a handful of snow. "This means war," he muttered, as Jeannie ran from him, laughing.

John sipped on his hot cocoa and watched from the porch as the two siblings flung snowballs at each other, and listened to Madison's giggles as she watched the fight while building a snowman with Ronon. He really wasn't surprised when she made a snowball of her own, but was surprised that, with the guileless nature of a child, she threw it at the hulking form of Ronon.

He held his breath, even though he knew there was little to fear.

Ronon turned to her slowly and then grinned, causing her to squeal in childish glee, and the chase was on.

Of course, the two fights soon became confused, and before long all four where slinging balls of snow around, smiling in triumph whenever they scored a hit.

At one point, Rodney tried to make a snow fort, but the other three joined forces, hitting him so many times he was forced to give it up as a bad idea. Ronon then, much to Rodney's annoyance and disgust, used the semi-built fort's snow for his own ammo.

It was only a matter of time before John himself was hit, fortunately after he had finished his hot drink.

He mock glared at Rodney, before smiling an evil little smile...

The End


	5. Skates

**Skates**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set sometime Season 3 or 4_

His parents had insisted that he join in with the annual skating frenzy that took over their small Canadian town every winter. It was a rite of passage that _all_ children had to be a part of; or at least, one would think so, the way they went on about it.

So every year, he'd don his ice skates and take to the outdoor rink. If he was lucky, his parents would give up trying to make him have fun within a couple of visits, if not, then it might take three or four.

He always stuck to the outside of the rink, constantly within reach of the barrier that surrounded it and never, ever venturing out into the middle. He _could_ skate, but the thought of falling held no appeal, and staying close to the barrier was the only sensible thing to do to avoid all chances of that happening. Well, it was always a bit tricky around the entrance areas, when the barrier was gone and people were moving on and off the rink, but he managed. He stayed _safe_.

A part of him, though, envied the confidence of others, watching as they gracefully, or not so gracefully, glided across the ice, far from reach of the barriers if they fell, and fast, oh so fast sometimes, doing jumps and turns and figures of eights.

In the end, after a few years of trying to get their son enthused by the sport, his parents gave up and he sighed in relief. He was tired of being laughed at by other kids, of feeling like a coward, of wishing his fear wouldn't hold him back.

Of course, not long after he had stopped, his sister took to the ice and loved it. Not enough, thank goodness, to have dreams of being an ice skater and winning prizes, but enough to beg to go there every weekend.

He never went to watch her after the first time, when she'd left the comfort of the barrier with a fearlessness he didn't have and quite clearly didn't care that she fell a few times in doing so.

He wasn't jealous. He _wasn't_.

So now, almost thirty years since he'd hung up his skates, he was on a planet in the midst of their deepest winter, trying to make nice with the locals – and finding, to his utter dismay, that there was no better way to make friends than to join them in their winter sport; ice skating.

This time there was no barrier to hold, and he fell a couple of times, bruising his body deeply, he was sure, before regaining the balance from an earlier time. He smiled grimly as he skated around the edge of the pond, pausing to smirk at his teammates, who for all their grace and balance in the gym where falling around like drunken penguins and glaring at his obvious enjoyment of their misfortune.

And just like that, a confidence he'd never felt before came over him.

He raced across the middle of the frozen lake...

...and grinned.

The End


	6. Candlelight

**Candlelight**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set Season 1_

For much of her life the night had been lit by stars or moons or fire, with candlelight her favourite of these. The warm glow reminded her of pleasant evenings spent with family and friends, passing on the old tales, making up new ones, or singing songs and dancing.

Yet candles were so much more than just a light in the darkness and memories of belonging. They were also full of symbols, used in the ceremonies of her people with each colour and each scent having a place, a meaning, and she cherished this most of all.

Yellow scented with liddin blossom was used to celebrate the birth of a child. Red scented with the rich smell of lavilna, a rare and heady flower, was used for the Bonding Ceremony. Green scented with hako, a fragrance not unlike freshly tilled soil, was used at the time of planting. Blue scented with kuri fruit was used at the time of harvest. White scented with the pure clean smell of kivim was used for the Ring Ceremony, and was forever linked with the tears of mourning in her mind.

Then there were the cream ones that held no special scent, for daily use. Plain, and yet so vital as lights in their homes, especially on the darkest of nights, when no moon or stars shone down upon them.

But here in her new home, it was not candlelight that lit her room at night. Instead, the foreign and bright Ancestral lights of the city did, flowing through her window in a disconcerting manner that made it hard to sleep. Heavy drapes would have solved the problem, yet something kept her from adding them. Perhaps it was a wish to embrace the city with all its inherent strangeness; to adapt to her new chosen path.

The day she awoke to a light that no longer seemed so bright or strange, she knew that even with her people living on the Mainland, so near and yet so far from her, this was the place she was meant to be; her new home.

The End


	7. Trees

**Trees, or Perfection is in the Eye of the Beholder**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set sometime in Season 1_

They had a large Christmas tree in each of their mansions, no matter if they were living there at the time or not. He remembers different Christmases spent in different homes, but usually they settled for the holidays in their Palm Springs residence.

Each tree was different and yet always the same; carefully chosen for shape and size - no misshapen ones for their home - with tinsel and ornaments and lights all professionally decorated and set with precision. A show piece, a marvel.

And boring.

John had loved the tree he remembered from his second grade. It had been a little lopsided, but that hadn't mattered to him. The decorations were haphazard and badly placed, the ornaments paper and plastic and all made by the children there. He remembered the excitement of helping to dress the tree, the fun it involved and the feeling afterwards that it was theirs. It had felt more special than the carefully coordinated ones at home, that Dave and he were not allowed to even touch, let alone decorate.

Now, here on Atlantis and cut off from Earth, they had to make do with a small fir-like tree from the mainland, carefully placed in the mess hall and decorated with odds and ends that they could spare. No tinsel, so they used braided yarns in muted reds and yellow and green, courtesy of the Athosians. No lights and a ban on the more traditional candles, for fear of setting the city alight, so they used broken Ancient crystals, that glinted in the artificial light, reflecting it in a rainbow of colours. No ornaments, so they used whatever they could find or make - paper angels, computer CDs, even empty candy wrappers. Anything shiny or colourful. Trash made pretty.

His father would have shuddered at the sight of it, but he thought it the most beautiful tree he had ever seen, even more so than the tree from his school.

It was theirs, the Expedition's, in every way.

It was just perfect.

The End


	8. Christmas Cake

**Christmas Cake**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set season 2 – before 'Trinity'_

_For those who do not know what a Christmas cake is, in England it is a moist, rich fruitcake (not dry and tasteless) usually with marzipan and hard icing on top (though this can vary).  
_

He wanted a Christmas cake; a tradition his family had always followed what with his mother being from England. Of course, he couldn't risk buying a shop made Christmas cake, even if he had time to go back to Earth (and go to Canada, seeing as the Americans didn't know what he was talking about half the time and considered fruit cake as some kind of joke, at best) because, hello, citrus, anyone? Death by cake was not on his list of ways to die and all the recipes he'd read contained lemon juice somewhere along the line.

So he'd have to find someone to make one for him.

His mother had made a guaranteed citrus-free cake each year and he wished he'd gotten the recipe from her as well as learned to bake, but he'd never been interested in the so called culinary arts, science and math being so much more exciting.

As for why he wanted a Christmas cake so badly, he wasn't sure. Maybe after being cut off from Earth until recently had made him crave familiar things. Certainly, he'd hit the supermarket when he'd returned to Earth, buying more food than he could possibly eat and smuggling as much back to Atlantis with him as he could.

Whatever the reason might be, the fact remained; he wanted a Christmas cake.

There was no point in asking Teyla, she was a terrible cook. They'd discovered this recently with her tuttleroot soup experiments. And yes, he was sure they were experiments. You couldn't call what she produced food.

Not that he'd told her that. After all, she had big sticks and wasn't afraid to use them, usually on the pretence of improving his fighting skills. Yeah, like he bought that. She only seemed to want to spar with him when he'd done something to really upset her. Thank goodness she had a thick skin, or else he'd always be sporting bruises.

The new guy, Ronon, was unlikely to have the finesse or patience, let alone skill. Besides, there was no way he was going to ask him. He didn't want to end up being trained by the guy who could make marines tremble in fear if the big lug took it the wrong way.

Sheppard... was American and wouldn't know a decent fruit cake if it hit him on the head, which was a bizarre if amusing image. Anyway, Sheppard was unlikely to know how to bake, and if the colonel did, then he really didn't want to know. Not that there was anything wrong with a man being able to bake, but Sheppard? Just, no. So not the image he wanted of his team leader.

Maybe if he asked Elizabeth nicely she'd, well, probably not make him a cake herself, but maybe get the cooks to make one that he could eat?

Yes, that was probably his best bet. He knew Carson was wanting a Christmas cake and pudding along with the more normal American fare, and he could use the 'you want everyone who celebrates Christmas to enjoy the day and I can't do that if I can't have a Christmas cake, a tradition in my family may I add, that I can have without risk of dying, now can I?' approach. Yes, that'd be sure to work. Elizabeth was always trying to ram home the need for cultural sensitivity, after all.

He rubbed his hands and headed to Elizabeth's office.

Christmas cake, here he came.

The End


	9. Fudge

**Fudge**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set Season 4_

Every Christmas, when she was a child, she'd make fudge with the help of her Grandma. She'd only ever known her maternal grandmother, her other grandparents having died before she was born, though Mer remembered their paternal grandfather.

Their parents would pack up their presents, the kids and the car and head down to Grandma's place for Christmas, and Jeannie would be allowed to help make the fudge that would be distributed around the neighbourhood kids - and, of course, to Mer and herself.

Mer never helped with the cooking, though he always seemed to know just when to appear to help lick a bowl clean. Remembering now, she realised that Grandma had always dirtied two bowls when one would have done. But then Grandma had been both wise and kind, and Jeannie had cried hard when the old lady had died.

It was years since she'd made fudge. Her parents had never had the time to make it and wouldn't trust her to do so on her own, even when she was a teenager, and in time the passion for it died.

But this year, when Madison had asked to make cookies, Jeannie had realised that her daughter was growing up, and fast. It was time to restart the lapsed tradition, and because her brother was visiting, she made sure to dirty two bowls instead of one. Sure enough, he magically appeared at the right time, though he did have the grace to look a little sheepish. Well, just for a brief moment, before the lure of sweetness proved too much for him.

It made Madison giggle, and she couldn't help smiling herself at his predictability, before pulling up a chair and making him share his bowl with her, despite his attempt to pull it away and his complaints about germs, and had she washed her hands, and why wasn't she sharing Madison's bowl as well as his; the usual huffs of outrage - yet he didn't try all that hard to stop her.

Next year perhaps she would dirty three bowls.

But then again, maybe not, she thought wickedly, scooping out the last of the mixture with her finger much to Mer's obvious dismay.

This was much more fun.

The End


	10. Shopping on Earth

**Shopping on Earth  
**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set Season 4, post Missing, pre-Midway_

Rodney hated Christmas shopping. Hated the bright lights, the noise, the claustrophobic crush of so many people in one place. He wasn't really used to crowds anymore, Pegasus not providing that many crowd situations, and he'd forgotten just how annoying and downright disorientating it could be.

He felt like a fish being pulled by a tide; a tide made up of frantic shoppers that had already made him miss one shop, forcing him to struggle back against the flow. Elbows were useful he discovered, and ignored the curses sent his way as he fought his way back to Total Childhood.

It was worse in there, of course. Children running, crying, screaming, grabbing toys, having tamper tantrums when told they couldn't have them, and generally getting under foot. Then there were the parents, mothers mainly, harried, short on patience, trying to keep their little brats under some sort of control and failing badly as far as he could discern. Pandemonium, and a true Christmas nightmare if ever there was one.

But this was for Teyla and for his niece, so he put up with the chaos; the pushing, the shoving, the racket and the migraine inducing stress, to find the correct toys and the correct baby paraphernalia that Jeannie had chosen and ordered him, in no uncertain terms, what he was to get. But then, what did _he_ know about babies and kids? Except that they were noisy, irritating and generally dirty and full of germs.

What he went through for family and friends - they'd better damn well appreciate his efforts, that was all.

Then finally, _finally_, he managed to find and purchase the items on his list, and then it was back out into the tumult of the mall's main thoroughfare, before reaching the blessedly sweet, oh so sweet, air of the parking lot.

Well, okay, it was a city and so the air was no doubt polluted, but after the horrors of the mall, it seemed sweet to him.

So, presents for two people down – which left several to go.

He sighed, putting the carrier bags into his rental car. He'd have to brave the bedlam of the mall again tomorrow, but at least he didn't have to go back to the hell that was Total Childhood.

At least, not until next year.

He shuddered.

Maybe the Wraith would have killed him by then.

The End

A/N: Thanks for my hubby for the suggestion of 'Total Child' for the shop's name. I added 'hood' onto it, but the idea was all his.

Btw, did you know that in London there is a maternity company called Push Maternity Wear? It made me giggle when I saw that while researching potential shop names!!


	11. Shopping in Pegasus

**Shopping in Pegasus**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set Season 3, before 'The Return'._

M4L-419, more commonly known as Mall World - one of Ford's names that had stuck - was a prosperous planet that welcomed traders from all corners of the galaxy. It was a good place to find Ancient devices, though they were usually broken, much to his irritation. But still, spare parts were always useful and there was always the chance of something major turning up. Like a ZPM.

Well, one could dream.

It was also useful at times, like birthdays and Christmas, for finding an unusual gift for a friend. Of course, unusual didn't always go down as well as one imagined, but surely it was the thought that counted? At least, that's what he'd always been told anyway.

And until the gate bridge was completed, Mall World was more convenient than a trip back to Earth, or trying to persuade the supply staff that an X-Box was a necessity if they didn't want to see the Commanding Officer of Atlantis go completely insane. Or the Head of Science for that matter - he was sure he could have gotten Sheppard to share.

So, no X-Box, not until the gate bridge was up and running and going back to Earth was much easier.

What to get, though, what to get? Teyla had been easy; some native teas, a couple of scented candles and a blanket that she'd been oh so _not_ subtly mooning over in front of him. He could take a hint. Well, he could take one when it was pointed out so obviously.

Ronon hadn't been that hard to buy for either. A knife, which Sheppard had helped him choose seeing as he wouldn't know a good knife from a bad one. Of course, Sheppard's help had ended up with him buying the most expensive knife on offer, so the caveman could forget about getting anything else from him. Not that he had a clue what else to get anyway.

Carson had whisky, a 21 year old Glenlivet single malt. Expensive and yes, a stereotype, but for some reason Carson liked the foul tasting stuff. That was one thing he'd managed to procure from Earth; smuggled here by a member of the Daedalus crew. For a fee, of course.

As for Elizabeth, Teyla had used her not so subtle approach again and he'd purchased a carving that, personally, he thought was ugly but Teyla clearly seemed to think Elizabeth would like. He deferred to her judgement and hoped she was right.

So that just left Sheppard. He'd asked Teyla, but she'd said he needed to do this one on his own, because, "he is as a brother, is he not?". What sort of question is that to ask someone? And no, so absolutely not true at that. But she wouldn't be budged, and had apparently told Ronon not to help either.

It wasn't like he felt comfortable asking Elizabeth, and Carson had already made it clear he was on his own with _all_ the presents, saying that as it was the thought that counted, the thought needed to be his own.

If he didn't know better, he'd say it was a damned conspiracy.

He wandered around the marketplace, but nothing seemed to be right. There were one or two items that might do, but he wasn't sure. He should have bribed the Daedalus guy to bring something for Sheppard too, even if it wasn't an X-Box; the coward hadn't thought he could smuggle in something electronic like that.

Too late now. Christmas was next week and the Daedalus almost back to Earth.

He was about to give up, wondering if he could _make_ Sheppard a handheld gaming device – after all, he was a genius and it surely couldn't be all that hard - when he spotted something hidden amongst a pile of metal junk.

The device had a cylindrical handgrip at one end, with a clear tube extending from it that lit up as soon as he picked it up. Probably ATA gene activated, then. He grinned when he realised what it reminded him of and radioed Teyla, asking her to come and haggle for the Ancient flashlight for him. It wasn't a design he'd seen before, perhaps it wasn't widely used or was defunct? Whatever, it was just perfect.

Especially if he could barter Stackhouse out of his Star Wars DVDs to go with it. His grin widened at the thought, face lighting up in boyish glee. Oh boy, Sheppard was going to freak over this.

And perhaps he wasn't so bad at this present buying after all.

The End

A/N: 1) I have no idea how easy/hard it would be for Rodney to procure a 21 year old Glenlivet single malt whisky, but just go with me on this one please! In case you're curious about the price, then at the time of writing a bottle of this would be selling for around £65, or $100 (US dollars).

2) Jayne, my trusty beta, threw some ideas around for what Rodney could buy Sheppard from a Pegasus galaxy world, and somewhere in amidst of them I'm sure she suggested a lightsabre, so credit where credit is due!


	12. Battle of the Cards

**Battle of the Cards  
by Leesa Perrie**

_Set season 4 or later_

_For the graphics that accompany this story (which I have provided descriptions of below) you need to go to my profile and either go to my website, click on the Atlantis link, scroll down to and click on the Advent Calendar link, and then click Number 23, or go to my LiveJournal site and click on the Advent Calendar 2008 tag (right hand side) and click on 23rd December's post._

_

* * *

  
_

John opened the envelope he found stuck to the doors to his quarters with duct tape.

_Card One – Front: Birthday card in green with a blue car. 'Happy Birthday' crossed out in ink._

_Card One – Inside: 'Happy Birthday' and 'with best wishes' crossed out in ink. Writing says, 'To John, I didn't have time to grab any cards back on Earth, so this will have to do. Stupid holiday season anyway. Rodney.'_

Rolling his eyes at the message full of Christmas cheer, not, he entered his quarters. He hadn't picked up any Christmas cards on his last visit to Earth either, but if he didn't give Rodney one in return he'd never hear the end of it.

He supposed he could make one...

A wicked grin spread over his face.

* * *

Rodney opened the envelope he found stuck to the doors to his quarters with sticky tack.

_Card Two – Front: Clipart of Whale_

_Card Two – Inside: 'To Rodney. Seasonal Greetings. I couldn't get a card back on Earth either, so I made you this one! John.'_

He scowled at the card with its bad caricature of a whale and entered his quarters, putting the card into his trashcan. The last thing he wanted was to stare at a whale before going to bed at night, that was a good way to ensure nightmares.

Damn Sheppard's so called sense of humour.

Revenge; that what was needed, but what to do...

A wicked grin spread over his face.

* * *

John stopped outside his room, eyeing the card stuck to his door with duct tape with suspicion. Definitely Rodney's handwriting on the envelope, and considering the card he'd just given the guy, this probably wasn't going to be good.

Still, he took a deep breath, opened the card…and fervently hoped no one had heard his slightly less-than-manly yelp of surprise (he was going for the word 'yelp' as it sounded so much better than 'scream').

_Card Three - Front: Photo of bug. Writing says, 'Than You So Much!'_

_Card Three - Inside: 'John. __THIS IS WAR!__ Rodney.'  
_  
Damn that annoying Canadian son of a bitch! He wanted a war, did he? Well, he was going to damn well get one!

* * *

Rodney stopped outside his room, eyeing the card stuck to his door with sticky tack with suspicion. Definitely Sheppard's handwriting on the envelope, and considering the card he'd just given the guy, this probably wasn't going to be good.

Still, he took a deep breath, opened the card…and grimaced. Damn flyboy!

_Card Four - Front: Two photos, one of lemons and one of oranges. Writing says, 'Than You So Much Too!'_

_Card Four - Inside: 'Rodney. You are sooooo on! And soooo dead! John aka Your Death'  
_  
"Rodney, are you okay?" a voice came from beside him, making him jump.

"Oh, Teyla, I didn't see you there," he said, heart still racing. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I am sorry, I did not realise you had not heard me approach," she replied, though he was sure there was a glint of mischief lurking in her eyes. "Are those lemons and oranges on the card? Are you not allergic to them?"

"Yes, yes, deathly allergic."

"Who would send you such a card? It is most unkind of them."

"Well, see, it's from Sheppard..." he stammered out, a sinking feeling in his stomach. Crap, he _so_ did not want to explain this.

With a sigh, she took the card from his suddenly nerveless fingers and read it.

"And what did you send him to deserve this?"

"Um, maybe a card with a, um, a bug on it." Oh, just shoot him now.

"And why would you do that?"

"Well, he sent me one with a whale on it, so it was only fair that I retaliate..." he said in his best wounded voice, hoping she didn't ask anymore questions and that she would accept it was all Sheppard's fault - which it was really; his first card hadn't been all that bad. Not really. But the raised eyebrow told him she wasn't buying it, and he sighed. "Okay, so I might have sent him a card that wasn't entirely, erm, nice, but it wasn't deserving a whale card in return!"

Teyla sighed and shook her head, clearly thinking how childish they were being. His cheeks flamed red and he wished the ground would open up and swallow him.

"Well," she said with another shake of her head, "I will leave you to it." And so saying, she handed him back the card and went on her way.

Was that a muffled giggle he heard as she turned the corner?

* * *

John opened the door to his room, ready to head down for breakfast, when he noticed an envelope addressed to him in Teyla's handwriting placed carefully on the floor so that he would be sure to see it. Hmm, he hadn't had a Christmas card from her yet. She usually made beautiful handcrafted cards that were a little too sentimental for his tastes.

Oh well, he'd better open it.

_Card Five - Front: One photo and one clipart of clowns. Writing says, 'John Enjoy!'_

_Card Five - Inside: 'John. I believe the term is 'I win'. If you would like to contend this, I can meet you in the gym at ten. Teyla'_

What the...!

"McKay, have you been tattling to Teyla about our little card war?" he said into his comm, not caring if he woke his teammate up; it was, after all, gone 8:00.

* * *

Rodney opened the door to his room, ready to head down for breakfast, when he noticed an envelope addressed to him in Teyla's handwriting placed carefully on the floor so that he would be sure to see it. Hmm, he hadn't had a Christmas card from her yet. She usually made beautiful handcrafted cards that were a little too sentimental for his tastes.

Oh well, he'd better open it.

_Card Six - Front: One photo and one clipart of clowns. Writing says, 'Rodney Enjoy!'_

_Card Six - Inside: 'Rodney. I believe the term is 'I win'. If you would like to contend this, I can meet you in the gym at nine. Teyla'_

Damn, he hoped she hadn't left one for Sheppard as well.

_"McKay, have you been tattling to Teyla about our little card war?"_ Sheppard's voice came over his comm unit, making him jump.

Oh shit, he was so screwed.

* * *

Teyla opened the envelopes she found stuck to the door to her quarters with duct tape and sticky tack.

_Card Seven - Front: One photo of a sunset. Writing says, 'Congraulations'_

_Card Seven - Inside: '(John's writing) Teyla. You Win! (Rodney's writing) Please don't hit us! (John's writing) John & (Rodney's writing) Rodney'_

She smiled.

The End


	13. Food, Presents, Good Company

**Food, Presents, Good Company; An Atlantis Christmas Day**

**by Leesa Perrie**

_Set season 2 – before 'Trinity'._

Not everyone celebrated Christmas, not even all of the Earthers; some had other celebrations set around the same time, others had none. It wasn't that confusing really, not to him, that one world could hold different nationalities, different beliefs, or even lack of beliefs. Sateda had once been a mass of different peoples, before they had combined into one united force against the Wraith. Even then, there were different cultures and beliefs, and he had learned to be tolerant of them. After all, the fight against the Wraith was more important than a difference of opinion.

Even Teyla knew the value of honouring other traditions and beliefs, while holding her own; as one who traded on different worlds, she had had to learn to do this. And although the idea of so many, many different cultures on one planet was strange, it wasn't so hard for her to adjust to the idea.

Although not everyone celebrated Christmas, and many of those who did, didn't celebrate for religious reasons but for the sake of tradition or the lure of presents and food and drink, or maybe both, Sheppard, Beckett and Elizabeth did, and so Teyla and he also took part in the festivities. As did a complaining McKay, though it seemed to him that the complaints were more for show. Certainly, the scientist had enjoyed the feasting.

Replete from their meal, the team plus Carson had retired to an unoccupied rec room, for the exchanging of gifts, the consuming of alcoholic beverages and the watching of The Grinch, a traditional movie for this time of year he'd been assured by Sheppard, though McKay had scoffed at that. Elizabeth had promised to join them later, after socialising with others under her command.

The presents were piled under a small artificial tree, some gaily wrapped in Earth paper, some wrapped in brightly coloured cloth, a few wrapped in handmade paper, and some were tied with ribbons and twine, while others were just fastened with tape.

He grinned to himself, remembering the night before. He'd come down to place the presents he was giving under the tree to find McKay trying to prise his open and sneak a peek at the contents. It hadn't taken long to scare the scientist off, and he'd decided to spend the night on the extra long couch in the room.

Sure enough, a short while later, McKay had returned, hovering inside the door after spotting him. He'd waited a few moments, wondering what the scientist's next move would be, but when nothing changed he spoke up, telling McKay to go to bed. Of course, McKay had jumped and given a squeak of surprise before muttering how he'd thought Ronon was asleep. But he'd left, and not come back.

It wasn't that he minded if McKay got a sneak peek at this presents, but messing with the guy's head was just too tempting at times.

Not to mention it was fun.

After the sharing of presents, and he might just have dropped into the conversation McKay's late night foray to the merriment of the others, they sat down to watch The Grinch.

McKay complained, again, that The Grinch couldn't be a tradition when it was only a few years old. Sheppard defended his choice by saying that the book had been around for much, much longer. Beckett tried to put an end to the argument by stating that neither the book nor the film were traditional in Scotland but _he_ wasn't quibbling, was he? Teyla looked exasperated as the bickering escalated after that.

Putting on his most evil grin, he threatened to stun them all if they didn't shut up and just watch the damned movie.

It worked. Silence descended as the movie began to play. Not that it lasted for long. McKay, be quiet? Never going to happen.

Ronon relaxed against the couch cushions and smiled.

It was a long time since he'd felt like he was home.

The End


	14. 12 Days of SGA Christmas

**The 12 Days of Christmas – Atlantis Style!**

**Filked by Leesa Perrie**

**

* * *

**On the first day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

A Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the second day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the third day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the fourth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the fifth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the sixth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the seventh day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Seven whales a-swimming,

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the eighth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Eight fans a-filking,

Seven whales a-swimming,

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the ninth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Nine ladies fencing,

Eight fans a-filking,

Seven whales a-swimming,

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the tenth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Ten colonels sleeping,

Nine ladies fencing,

Eight fans a-filking,

Seven whales a-swimming,

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the eleventh day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Eleven majors sniping,

Ten colonels sleeping,

Nine ladies fencing,

Eight fans a-filking,

Seven whales a-swimming,

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three.

* * *

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

A true fan sent to me

Twelve stunners stunning,

Eleven majors sniping,

Ten colonels sleeping,

Nine ladies fencing,

Eight fans a-filking,

Seven whales a-swimming,

Six guns a-spraying

Five stargate rings,

Four Batman nerds

Three Z P Ms,

Two haz-mat gloves,

And a Rodney inside lab three!

* * *

The End


End file.
